After the provincial examination results came out, Wei Min was released, all her bags were returned to her, and she was also given two taels of silver as a consolation.
After Wei Min came out, he stood at the bulletin board beside the wall of the imperial city and looked at the list of tribute scholars with some happy and some sad, without any fluctuations in his heart.
The name of the champion was marked with red ink, making it particularly eye-catching.
The candidates who were looking at the list turned their heads in twos and threes and asked, "Did you pass the exam?" "What's your ranking?" "Who is this Wei Min?"
Including those candidates who had been punished before, all they care about now is their own rankings, and they are not so concerned about the results of cheating in the provincial examination.
Wei Min stepped out of the crowd, feeling calm and without any resentment. She had expected this outcome a long time ago. How could the emperor punish the princess and the aristocratic family for the sake of a scholar?
Wei Min took out the two taels of silver he had received and went into a pastry shop before going home.
The capital city is prosperous, and the shops are divided into fine categories. Places that sell cakes only sell cakes and will never sell steamed buns or dry food mixed in.
The shop is filled with cakes and fruits of various shapes and colors. Each one is like a prostitute in a brothel, stretching their bodies desperately, exuding an alluring aroma, winking at you, hooking their fingers, and calling out in a seductive voice, "Come on, come and taste me~"
The waiter observed carefully and saw Wei Min holding a bag in his hand. He hurried over and asked, "Sir, are you a candidate? Looking at his noble appearance and the blessed look in his eyes, he must have passed the examination, right?"
Wei Min found it funny. She was clearly full of bad luck, so how could she be so noble?
Wei Min looked up at the waitress. Seeing how young she was, with adorable dimples when she smiled, he couldn't help but lower his eyelids to look at the cakes on the plate beside him, and asked casually, "How did you guess that I passed the imperial examination?"
The waiter chuckled, "Businessmen like us rely on two things, our mouths and our eyes. The Imperial Examination Hall is letting the examinees out today, and you are carrying a bag in your hand, and you don't look very old, so I'm afraid you are coming out of there."
Besides, it was almost noon, the list of successful candidates had already come out, and most of the candidates had already seen it. Those who failed the exam either packed up their bags and went back dejectedly, or went out drinking with red eyes complaining about their luck.
And you still have the mood to come and buy pastries. Nine out of ten times, it's because you're on the list and you're in a good mood. Do you think what I said is right or not? ”
After hearing what she said, Wei Min nodded in agreement.
"If that's the case, then you must come and try our No. 1 Cake," the waiter led Wei Min to the yellow pastry plate, "This No. 1 Cake in our store is a delicious and famous snack, soft and crispy, with a delicate filling, evenly packed with skin, no impurities, fresh and fragrant, with the aroma of jujube paste, and no peculiar smell. I guarantee you will like it."
Zhuangyuan Cake has an excellent meaning. If you eat it, you will become the top scholar in the imperial examination. Therefore, it is the best-selling one after the provincial examination every year.
Wei Min didn't believe this. If eating bread was useful, who would study hard?
Wei Min shook his head and said, "I don't really like cakes. I came here to buy some food for my husband. Do you think there are any cakes that men like?"
The waiter was not angry when his sales pitch failed. Instead, he said with a smile, "I didn't realize you're married. As for what men like to eat, you asked the right question..."
The waiter was a talkative person. He spoke to Wei Min with a Beijing accent and always had a warm smile on his face. He did not have the snobbish air that some other shop assistants had.
Wei Min listened around and found that except for the Beijing accent, the waiter was exactly the same as the man she had met before.
"The people she interacts with are all nobles. Even if she is an ordinary citizen, how do you know that she will not meet a noble and rise to prominence? Not to mention a scholar like you who has a promising future."
The waiter handed the wrapped cake to Wei Min and said, "In our line of work, we must be nice and have a good attitude. In other words, you can come and go as you please, and I will always welcome you with a smile. Every line of work has its own rules."
Wei Min felt that the waiter was quite insightful and said with a smile, "If I have the chance, I will come back to your place."
The waiter bowed and said goodbye, "I wish you success in the college entrance examination."
Wei Min was walking on the road carrying the cakes, but he was still thinking about the waiter from before.
Wei Min has a good memory and even better hearing. Generally, she will remember the voice of someone she has heard once when she meets him/her again.
Just like Li Qing, the son of the Qingping County magistrate, she actually remembered him when A'ruan asked her about him, but she just didn't take it to heart.
Wei Min, the waiter, had not taken this matter seriously at first. He would definitely not have thought of her if he hadn't run into her. But unfortunately, he saw her again today, and in a completely different place.
On the day Wei Min first arrived in Beijing, he saw a circus troupe from another province when he passed by the street. At that time, there was an announcer with a foreign accent. She spoke wittily and looked pleasing. Most importantly, she looked exactly like the waiter.
How did this juggler become a waiter in a dim sum shop in Beijing in just one month? And speaks with a fluent Beijing accent?
Wei Min frowned, thinking that this man might be a spy sent by someone in the capital among the people. If her memory was a little worse, she would definitely not recognize it.
Wei Min inexplicably had a feeling that she would see this person again.
Just as she was thinking about it, Wei Min walked to the Xinghua Lane where she rented a house, and saw A Ruan standing at the door waiting for her from a distance.
Wei Min strode over and asked him with a smile, "How long have you been waiting?"
Ah Ruan shook his head and raised his hand to gesture:
——It didn’t take long to wait. I’ve prepared the meal. Are you hungry?
Wei Min handed the cakes he bought to A-Ruan and said, "I am indeed a little hungry. I haven't eaten the food cooked by A-Ruan for a long time. I will eat two big bowls today."
Ah Ruan was amused and smiled widely. After lowering his eyes and seeing what was in his hand, he slowly stopped smiling and pursed his lips slightly.
Wei Min gave him cakes three times in total.
The first time was when she decided to move back home from Luoyu Academy. She took a day off that day, carried sacks all night, and bought him some cakes and half a pound of meat, telling him to keep them for himself and not to give everything to A'luo.
The second time was when she passed the imperial examination and attended the Lu Ming Banquet. After the banquet, she took his hand to buy cloth, but he did not agree. Finally, when the two of them went to the pastry shop to buy dry food for her, she bought a few pastries with her only remaining pocket money without his knowledge, and smiled and told him, "All the pocket money is here, husband, don't be angry."
The third time was today. She never told him what happened in Beijing, but brought him some cakes when she came home. She smiled nonchalantly and told him that she was hungry and wanted to eat two more bowls of the rice he cooked.
Ah Ruan has heard many voices in the capital these past two days. The cheating in the provincial examination has become a topic of conversation after dinner, and the streets are full of people talking about the punishment of the candidates.
When Ah Ruan went out to buy groceries, as long as he paid attention, he could hear the whole story, not to mention that the storytellers in the teahouses added more details.
A'ruan would not tell Wei Min that she had been standing by the teahouse door for a long time with a vegetable basket on her shoulder, nor would she say that she had seen the list of tribute scholars posted on the wall of the imperial city a few hours earlier than Wei Min.
Although Ah Ruan was illiterate, he recognized the names marked in red ink, and knew the consequences of cheating in the provincial examination.
He knew that although his wife did not say anything and looked nonchalant, as if this matter had nothing to do with her, he knew that when his wife guessed this result, she must have felt wronged and angry, disappointed with the court, and dissatisfied with the emperor...
But no matter how upset she felt, she still brought him some cakes when she came back, using the two taels of silver she received as a subsidy after being punished.
A Ruan felt that he didn't know how to eat or swallow this snack.
"Aruan, is there any hot water?"
A'ruan came back to his senses when he heard Wei Min, who had entered the room earlier, calling him. He raised his hand and touched the corners of his eyes. Only after he felt that there were no tears did he put away the pastries and go into the room.
After bringing out the boiled water and placing it on the basin rack, A Ruan personally washed Wei Min's hands.
Wei Min put his arms around A Ruan, holding him in his arms. He rolled up his sleeves and held his arms in front of him. He rested his chin on his shoulder and rubbed it gently.
Ah Ruan lowered her head and washed very seriously, as if she wanted to wash away the bad luck on Wei Min.
It was already afternoon when the two of them finished their meal. Wei Min felt a little full, so he unbuttoned his coat and lay down on the bed, ready to take a nap.
A Ruan came in from outside, untied her dress at the waist with her washed hands, put it aside, and sat on the edge of the bed.
Wei Min lay there with her eyes lightly closed. Not long after, she felt a hand on her chest, unbuttoning her clothes.
Wei Min was startled and opened his eyes quickly. He subconsciously held A'ruan's hand and said with a smile, "A'ruan, it's still daytime. Your wife is a scholar after all. It's not good to indulge in lust in the daytime."
Seeing that A'ruan looked unhappy, Wei Min looked at his face and said carefully, "How about waiting for two more days? I see that you still look a little tired, and you must not have had a good rest these two days. It has been half a year since we separated, and I have been a vegetarian for so long. If I do that, I am afraid it will tire you out."
Even after hearing the second half of her blushing and heart-pounding words, Ah Ruan remained unmoved and looked at her with drooping eyelids.
Wei Min stroked the back of A'ruan's hand with his fingers and changed the subject, "Tell me how you made the long journey from Qinghe Village to the capital."
A Ruan didn't want to say anything, he just wanted to see the injuries on Wei Min's body.
Wei Min, however, remained calm and held his hand.
Aruan struggled twice, but she still didn't let go. Knowing that his wife might be injured, A Ruan did not dare to use too much force. However, during the struggle, Ke Xin felt an inexplicable anger, angry at himself and her.
She didn't even let him see it, but he still felt sorry for her!
Why didn't she tell him anything!
Even if he knew, he couldn't do anything, but he wanted to stand side by side with her, feel sorry for her, and listen to her complaints instead of letting her keep all her words in her heart and being blocked by her.
Ah Ruan was a little irritated by Wei Min, and she pulled her hand away from her grasp in anger. She sat on the edge of the bed with her back to her, lowered her head and secretly wiped away her tears.
Wei Min was startled, and climbed up from the bed with heartache, reaching out to hug his shoulders.
A Ruan shook her hand off and did not turn around to leave. Instead, he just sat obediently on the edge of the bed and cried for her.
Author's words: Ah Ruan is not a crybaby. That's why Wei Min gave up all his insistence when he saw him crying. He compromised and coaxed him in a low voice: "Okay, okay, don't you want to take off your clothes? I'll take them off for you. If you want, let's do it now. I'll give it to you right away, okay... don't cry."
Just in case, I'll post some here [sorry]
Small Theater
Wei Min: My husband wanted it, but I couldn't satisfy him. It's my fault. It's my fault. OvO
A Ruan: Who wants it? I just want to see the wound!
Wei Min: Don’t explain. I understand. I understand everything. My husband is shy. So should I take the initiative first? ⊙v⊙
A Ruan: _(:зゝ∠)_
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